DPP Dragonite

RaikouLover has been busy lately so I've taken over this project.

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/dragonite


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Changes:

* Updated comments (will remove the purple in a day or two)
* Added Team Options
* Perfected EV spreads
* Removed Agility set (Deoxy-S is gone, and the new MixDancingMence is superior)
* Moved Light Screen to set comments (Scizor, Metagross, etc. walk all over it)
* Dropped ScarfNite since Salamence has more Speed and higher attack stats (only good for a one time surprise)

[SET]
name: MixNite
move 1: Superpower
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost / Thunderbolt
item: Life Orb
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 112 Atk / 196 SpA / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed Dragonite functions extremely similarly to Mixed Salamence. While Salamence generally has the advantage when it comes to using this set because of its higher Special Attack and Speed, Dragonite's unique access to Superpower, along with higher defenses overall, make him a worthy candidate for a position on your team.</p>

<p>With a Rash nature and 56 Attack EVs, Dragonite is guaranteed to OHKO 0 HP / 252 Def Calm Blissey, 252 HP Tyranitar, and 4 HP Heatran after Stealth Rock damage. Salamence must rely on Brick Break to combat all three of them, while none of which are OHKOed, which again emphasizes the advantage of using MixNite over MixMence, especially against slower stall teams. Draco Meteor is a powerful STAB attack and can deal massive damage to Hippowdon, Swampert, and other Pokemon expecting a physical attack. A fire move in the third slot complements this set for universal coverage and prevents Skarmory and Bronzong from walling Dragonite entirely. Roost is the preferred option to recover Life Orb and Stealth Rock damage; however, Thunderbolt is a useful option to combat bulky Water-type Pokemon, most notably Gyarados.</p>

<p>As previously stated, the given Attack EVs are necessary to OHKO Bold Blissey, Tyranitar, and Heatran. 200 Speed EVs place Dragonite at 246 Speed, enough to outrun Jolly Tyranitar and most defensive Celebi and Zapdos, while the remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack. If you are not concerned about Bold Blissey, a mere 56 Atk EVs will OHKO Calm Blissey after Stealth Rock. This allows you to maximize Dragonite's Special Attack stat.</p>

<p>This Dragonite can 2HKO almost every Pokemon in the game, much like MixMence. The few that aren't 2HKOed are the main Pokemon you are going to want to get rid of before bringing Dragonite in. Cresselia is probably the best counter to MixNite. Being so, Tyranitar is always good to have around. Although Reflect will slow it down, Cresselia can't do anything to Tyranitar, while it can threaten with Pursuit or easily 2HKO with Crunch. Stealth Rock, Life Orb, and Sanstorm will bring Dragonite down to low health in just a couple turns. Although Dragonite has Roost, he will struggle to find time to use it. Wish support from Vaporeon or Blissey can allow you to keep Dragonite alive longer, while both of them help out by taking Ice Beams aimed at Dragonite.</p>

<p>Pokemon that can switch in and are faster than Dragonite will be very bothersome. Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Jirachi, Choice Band Scizor, offensive Zapdos, and even Starmie are all potential counters. Most of these threats can be slowed down with Thunder Wave, allowing you to attack first. Jirachi and Blissey both provide reliable paralysis support. Jirachi's typing bodes well alongside Dragonite's, covering each others weaknesses. Rotom-A can easily switch in on Scizor and threaten to burn it with Will-O-Wisp.</p>

<p>Since Dragonite relies heavily on prediction, it would be wise to first scout the foe's Pokemon. Scizor with U-turn is able to come in with relative ease, force a switch, and then retreat to a counter while getting in a bit of damage. Flygon can accomplish something similar. With a Choice Scarf, it also makes a decent check to Jirachi, Heatran, Latias and Salamence. It is able to OHKO all of them with its powerful STAB moves. Once you know the foe's whole team, overcoming stall will be much easier. Swampert is an effective user of Roar, which can help reveal the foe's team. Swampert is also able to set up Stealth Rock, while countering Flygon and Salamence who will surely defeat Dragonite. Be sure to ha
ve a Stealth Rock user on your team so Dragonite gets all the KOs he needs. As already mentioned, Swampert is a natural Stealth Rock candidate. Forretress and Skarmory can also set up Spikes and/or Toxic Spikes which will further aid Dragonite's rampage; however you should then make sure there's a reliable counter to Latias and Salamence in the wings who can beat both with ease, along with Dragonite.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulky DDNite
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Dragon Claw / Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Roost
item: Leftovers / Life Orb / Lum Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 224 HP / 84 Atk / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Dragonite shows clear advantage over Salamence with its greater defenses, allowing him to set up on a wider variety of Pokemon. Dragon Dance and Roost work well in conjunction, so you can start your sweep and heal when needed. Dragonite can use either Dragon Claw or Outrage as its STAB attack. If you want to opt for sheer power, than Outrage is your choice; however, if you want to be more conservative and be able to freely heal when needed, Dragon Claw is the move for you. Leftovers lets you recover a bit of extra damage, while Life Orb gives you a much needed boost in power at the cost of some Hit Points. Lum Berry allows you to dodge one status attack, including a round of Outrage confusion.</p>

<p>There are also a few unique moves Dragonite can use in place of Earthquake or Roost. Light Screen can be used to Dragon Dance in the face of his counters, replacing Earthquake. While behind a Light Screen, Dragonite will take about 40%-47% from Vaporeon's Ice Beam, which is the strongest coming from any bulky Water-type. This amount is further reduced to about 20%-23% while Roosting, thus allowing you to often come out on top if you can avoid a freeze. The problem is that Dragonite will be hard pressed to find a time to use Light Screen and Roost, while also setting up with Dragon Dance. Then you have to worry about the ubiquitous Steel-types. Skarmory, Metagross, and Scizor will always beat you with ease. If you choose to use Light Screen, then be sure to have Magnezone in your team to take care of these Pokemon.</p>

<p>Heal Bell is a useful move to rid Dragonite of troubling status such as paralysis or burn, both usually spelling the end of Dragonite's tempest. Use it over Earthquake if you have another Pokemon to take care of Steel-types, or Roost if you plan on getting a quick sweep. Quite similarly, Dragonite learns Safeguard to prevent against status. However, it won't guard against Outrage's confusion.</p>

<p>With only two attacking moves, Dragonite is walled by Skarmory and Bronzong. Magnezone is incredibly helpful to counter these two Pokemon, and along with Dragonite, is resistant or immune to every type in the game. Magnezone is also extremely helpful against pesky Scizor, who can still 2HKO you with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock. Scizor or Metagross can help you kill off frail revenge killers such as Scarf Gengar, Azelf, and Jolteon. A slightly more Specially bulky EV spread, as well as Pursuit should be used on both of them to be fully effective at this.</p>

<p>Even with Roost, Dragonite can't set up against Ice Beam users such as Suicune, Vaporeon, and Swampert (unless it has Light Screen), so you need something to counter these Pokemon, preferably before Dragonite comes into play. Although Celebi reliably counters these Pokemon, it shares an Ice weakness with Dragonite and has similiar resistances. A Pokemon with Toxic and recovery move is a good choice to stall out said bulky Water-types. Blissey, Porygon2, Vaporeon, and Milotic are all great Toxic stall Pokemon that are able to take a Surf or an Ice Beam. Toxic Spikes are another option to wear down Pokemon which Dragonite can't kill on his own. Forretress and Tentacruel not only lay down Toxic Spikes, but can also spin away the troubling Stealth Rock. Both also resist Ice attacks, which will be a great help to Dragonite. If you wish to sponge some physical hits, Forretress is for you. If you wish to sponge special hits, Tentacruel is your jellyfish.</p>



[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Heal Bell / Light Screen
move 2: Roost
move 3: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 4: Dragon Claw / Flamethrower
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful / Calm
evs: 248 HP / 216 SpD / 44 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dragonite's humongous Attack stat often undermines its above average Special Defense. Although Latias has a much higher Special Defense stat, Dragonite has a slightly different typing, access to Heal Bell, and possesses Inner Focus, making this set perfectly viable. Although Inner Focus may seem like nothing special, it makes Dragonite one of the best counters to Togekiss.</p>

<p>Heal Bell is the preferred option over Light Screen simply because Latias lacks the move. Dragonite is also one of the few viable clerics on OU, but Light Screen is always helpful when trying to set up a sweep or Toxic stalling. Roar is also a possibility, but better left to Latias who can effectively Roar away Calm Minders such as Jirachi and Suicune. Roost is necessary to keep Dragonite healthy and continue his job. Thunder Wave is always a useful status move, slowing down many Pokemon. Toxic however, when used in conjunction with Light Screen and Roost, can stall out walls which use Special Attacks, such as Vaporeon and Blissey. Dragon Claw is your generic STAB move which works well off of your high 134 base Attack. If you are using Toxic, you are better off with Flamethrower which hits the Steel-types immune to Toxic. Flamethrower can also catch Skamory, Scizor, or Forretress off guard, expecting to wall a physical attacker. Use a Careful nature with Dragon Claw, and a Calm nature with Flamethrower.</p>

<p>The 44 Speed EVs are important on this set as they put Dragonite's speed at 207. This is usually enough to out speed Magnezone and will get the jump on Bold Suicune, Cresselia, and Milotic. This speed is vital because all four of these Pokemon commonly carry an Ice move to dispose of Dragons. With the additional speed, you can set up a Light Screen in front of them and proceed to Toxic stall or scout for a full paralysis before switching out. The rest of the EVs give Dragonite 385 HP, which allows Stealth Rock damage to round down while giving a favorable Leftovers threshold, and 319 Special Defense, which is the highest possible bonus point for the remaining EVs.</p>

<p>When using Dragonite as a Special sponge, you should have a Pokemon able to take physical attacks and most importantly Ice and Rock moves. Skarmory and Forretress can easily absorb physical hits, while supporting the team with Spikes and Toxic Spikes respectfully. However, both are only neutral to Rock and only Forretress actually resists Ice. Metagross however, resists both Rock and Ice while posing an offensive threat. A tanking Metagross also makes a good enough counter to Tyranitar who shrugs off Dragon Claw and Flamethrower, while not minding Thunder Wave much. Metagross can also make use of Light Screen, furthering Dragonite's goal to wall Special Attackers.</p>

<p>If Dragonite is your cleric, you should be sure that he doesn't go to waste. In a team full of sweepers Dragonite can give a paralyzed one a second chance to wreak havoc, hopefully after its counters have been removed. Lucario and Infernape are both deadly Pokemon, resistant to Ice and in Lucario's case, resistant to Rock. By switching
Lucario or Infernape into a Choice user's Ice or Rock attack from Pokemon such as Tyranitar or Mamoswine, these sweepers can set up and proceed to ram the oncoming foes. If something such as Zapdos comes in to paralyze you, Dragonite can easily switch in and heal the status.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch / Fire Blast
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry / Yache Berry
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This may be Dragonite's most destructive set; however, it is largely outclassed by Salamence who can run a nearly identical set with both higher Attack and higher Speed. While the bulky set aims to set up on its counters, this set aims to dispatch of them quickly. The concept is simple: come in on something that doesn't like Dragonite much, Dragon Dance on the switch, and blast away with Outrage. Dragon + Ground is only resisted by Bronzong, Skarmory, and Shedinja, so a fire move in the last slot remedies this problem. Fire Punch will hit Bronzong harder, but Fire Blast is a much better option against Skarmory even after you Dragon Dance. Ideally, you want to put off using Outrage as long as possible so you don't get needlessly locked in and confused.</p>

<p>With an Adamant nature, Dragonite outspeeds Gengar, Azelf, and Weavile after a Dragon Dance, while a Jolly nature makes you faster than Naive Choice Scarf Heatran after a Dragon Dance. It should be noted though, that by using a Jolly nature you are essentially trying to mimic Salamence. The choice of item is a matter of preference as well. Life Orb gives Dragonite significantly more power, but Yache Berry can save you from Ice Beams and Ice Shards and allow you to use Dragon Dance in the first place. Lum Berry is a powerful option for status protection, and can free Dragonite of confusion for another round of Outrage.</p>

<p>Skarmory and Bronzong are once again the best counters to Dragonite, specifically Skarmory who can restore its health with Roost. Even with Fire Blast, you need a neutral nature and Life Orb, or 80 Special Attack EVs and Life Orb to OHKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock; which, at this point, you're better off using Salamence. Skarmory can easily switch in and Whirlwind you out, while racking up Stealth Rock damage. Rotom-A easily counters both Skarmory and Bronzong, although it needs Sleep Talk to avoid Hypnosis. Heatran also makes a great counter to both of these Pokemon, as well as Scizor if you can avoid switching in on an Earthquake from Bronzong or Superpower from Scizor. Substitute Heatran is of particular interest because it can then poison and stall the foe's likely bulky Water-type switch in, greatly lowering its walling capability (beware of CroCune!). One advantage Dragonite does possess is his natural above average Defense, which means Scizor can manage only 60% with a Choice Band Bullet Punch. This could allow Dragonite an extra turn or two of sweeping without Life Orb recoil KOing him. This lessens the need for Magnezone, although it is always helpful for said Skarmory and Bronzong. If you don't have Magnezone, you'll want a sweeper able to lure out and KO them ahead of time. Salamence surprisingly does a good job at this, as long as you have a Pokemon able to cover the growing Ice and Rock weakness. For example, Choice Specs Salamence can easily surprise and OHKO Skarmory and even Bronzong, leaving Blissey as set up fodder for Dragonite. Cresselia and Hippowdon are the other Pokemon Dragonite will struggle against. Both tend to have radically different counters, but Gengar, while not really a counter, tends to fare well against both of them. Life Orb Gengar can easily 2HKO both. If you have a few team slots open, you can dedicate two different Pokemon to the job of eliminating them. Tyranitar and Scizor are excellent Cresselia counters, while Starmie is a good counter to Hippowdon who can also rid the field of Stealth Rock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Fire Punch / Superpower
move 4: Aqua Tail
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dragonite's massive physical movepool again demonstrates the distinctions between him and his Dragon counterparts. One should not underestimate the power of this set, as it is quite literally capable of 2HKOing everything in OU. Outrage is the main STAB, and with its enormous base power, will 2HKO every non-steel physical wall in the game, assuming you're running an Adamant nature. Between Outrage and Earthquake, you hit everything except Bronzong, Skarmory, and Shedinja for neutral damage. Fire Punch will 2HKO the standard Bronzong and Skarmory, while Superpower OHKOes Blissey without locking yourself into Outrage. Aqua Tail offers a powerful fourth attack that hits many things neutrally, but its main appeal lies in the ability to 2HKO both Hippowdon and Gliscor without being trapped by Outrage. It is also a great move to help ease prediction, since it OHKOes Heatran and deals massive damage to Levitators such as Gengar and Rotom-A who commonly switch in looking to avoid an Earthquake.</p>

<p>You can use a Jolly nature to out speed things like Adamant Gyarados and Heracross, or strike a surprise kill on things like Flygon that sit at 280 speed. However, you may lose the strength needed to 2HKO some physical walls.</p>

<p>Since you can 2HKO anything in the game, it is not about beating Dragonite's counters, but getting Dragonite in safely and preventing a revenge kill. Your opponent will usually do this by taking advantage of your mediocre Speed and being locked into Outrage. Common revenge killers are Mamoswine, Scizor, Jirachi, Salamence, Flygon, and Latias. A good deal of these are physical attackers, many of which can be stopped by a dedicated physical wall such as Hippowdon or Forretress. Those such as Latias tend to be shut down cold by Blissey, who can also provide paralysis support. If you don't want to take the defensive approach, a Choice Scarf using Steel-type such as Heatran or Jirachi will be extremely helpful in soaking up the Dragon and Ice attacks. This can pose a viable offensive combination, although you may be forced to switch out a lot. Magnezone is helpful as always, and will hopefully prevent you from using Outrage until you know you can sweep. Stealth Rock is an absolute must to 2HKO the bulkiest of threats such as Cresselia. A sturdy Rapid Spin blocker such as Rotom-A is also recommended.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Dragon Pulse / Thunderbolt
move 4: Focus Punch / Superpower
item: Choice Specs
nature: Rash / Mild
evs: 56 Atk / 252 SpA / 200 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>At first glance, this seems like an inferior Choice Specs Salamence. And while that is not far from the truth, Salamence's Speed and power advantage is somewhat balanced out by Dragonite's sturdier defenses and its punching prowess. Focus Punch allows Dragonite to easily get past the normal SpecsMence counters. With this EV spread, Dragonite will score likely OHKOes on Blissey, Empoleon, and Heatran with the aid of Stealth Rock. Dragon Pulse is a STAB sweeping move, but Thunderbolt is a decent option, as it hurts Water-types like Suicune, Empoleon and Milotic. It also tears through bulky Gyarados, who will always survive one hit from Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Dragonite can use Superpower instead of Focus Punch to stop its counters. Focus Punch is almost always the better option, but Superpower can be useful to hit all three in a pinch without relying on predicting the switch.</p>

<p>With the addition of Choice Specs, Dragonite is more prediction reliant than ever. One mistake could be the end. That's the bad news. The good news is that Steel-types can't walk all over you any more as Flamethrower will 2HKO the lot of them, bar Heatran of course. Since most Heatran are faster than Dragonite, having a good counter in the wings is a must. Swampert does well since it can also lay down Stealth Rock, a must for this set. If you are using Superpower, than Spikes will be incredibly useful so you can OHKO Blissey and Heatran. Skarmory is a decent choice since it can switch in on any Outrage and set up.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Dragonite's movepool is massive and there are plenty of good moves in there that are simply too hard to fit into a set. Dragonite can Roar and Haze, but is a rather average user of both. Dragonite makes a decent Breloom counter with Rest and Sleep Talk, and has the defenses to make use of such a set; however, Sleep Talk isn't very appealing on a Pokemon that attracts so many Ice moves to exploit its 4x weakness; not to mention, it has Roost which is better in almost every way. Dragonite has Agility, but it isn't much use when you have access to Dragon Dance. If you want a faster more powerful sweeper, Salamence is always available. Dragonite can also utilize a set that contains Substitute paired with Focus Punch, Roost, or both; however, Dragonite's other sets usually cause more damage in the long run.</p>

<p>Choice Scarf is a viable option on Dragonite, although it is largely outclassed by Salamence. However, Dragonite has a wider movepool allowing it to use Superpower, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt to decent success. 228 Atk / 108 SpA / 172 is a usable EV spread for such as set with a Naive or Hasty nature. The downside is that Salamence has a higher Attack, Special Attack, and Speed stat while you lower one of your Defenses.</p>

<p>Dragonite has a few additional attacking options, namely Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, and Dragon Rush. Outrage usually deals more damage than a super effective Ice Punch or ThunderPunch. Ice Punch is only useful for Gliscor and ThunderPunch for Gyarados, Skarmory, and Empoleon. Dragon Rush doesn't lock you into confusion and has a 20% chance of flinch, but Dragonite usually can't afford the 75% accuracy. One costly miss may means the end of a sweep. Dragonite also has access to Waterfall which has perfect accuracy and a handy flnich rate. It can be used on the Dragon Dancer and Choice Band, however it misses out on some 2HKOes that Aqua Tail provides. </p>

<p>Dragon Fang can be used in place of Life Orb on the Dragon Dance set, if you want to boost Outrage without suffering the 10% recoil.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Dragonite is usually stopped by something faster than it, or by a Pokemon such as Mamoswine, Weavile, or Scizor with a powerful priority move. Even with Dragon Dance, Dragonite isn't super fast and with Agility, Dragonite isn't powerful enough. You can fix Dragonite's Speed by Baton Passing Dragonite some using Lopunny, Scizor, or Jolteon. It is not recommended you use more standard Speed passers such as Zapdos or Ninjask because they share an Ice, Rock, and by extension, Stealth Rock weakness. An alternative is to attempt to paralyze everything you can. This can open a devastating MixNite sweep. Dragon attacks will give Dragonite a hard time, so Cresselia will be a good partner alongside him and can Thunder Wave the foe while it is locked into Outrage or switches out. Calm Mind variants can also shrug off Ice Beams with no problem. Jirachi is another Pokemon to provide paralysis support and can take most Dragon, Ice, and Rock attacks while Dragonite can switch in on a Fire or Ground attack. Body Slam can slow down any pesky Scarf Flygon or Dugtrio. Blissey can take Ice Beam and easily recover off the damage, while Wish is a great move to keep Dragonite alive longer even with Stealth Rock, Life Orb, and Sandstorm being ubiquitous. Once again, Thunder Wave can be a wonderful asset to help Dragonite sweep, especially MixNite and the Choice sets.
No clean sweep will occur without Stealth Rock, which means you should get it on the field as fast as you can to help everyone on your team, including Dragonite. Swampert was blessed with great typing, enabling it to easily switch in and set up. Its good defenses and resistance to Rock make it a wonderful partner to Dragonite. Metagross is another Pokemon who works well with Dragonite, also able to set up Stealth Rock. Its advantage is being able to use Explosion on troublesome foes. Blowing up on Skarmory, Hippowdon, or Cresselia means they can no longer wall Dragonite.</p>

<p>The Dragon Dancing variants are usually one time use. Defensive Pokemon such as Suicune, Skarmory, Bronzong, Cresselia and Hippowdon will most likely not be OHKOed, which forces you to get rid of them beforehand. The first four are all stopped by Magnezone, who hits the Water-types super effectively while trapping the Steel-types. The latter two can be a bit trickier to deal with. Tyranitar can beat Cresselia, but then you get beaten by Hippowdon. You also don't want to drag Dragonite into a sandstorm. Choice Band Heracross is slow but incredibly powerful. It can handle Cresselia with ease while 2HKOing Hippowdon. It too will benefit greatly from paralysis support. Pursuit Heracross can also hope to beat Scarf Gengar and Azelf who would likely come in to revenge kill Dragonite. Heatran is another Pokemon capable to 2HKOing both with at least a Life Orb boost, while also resisting Dragon attacks.</p>

<p>Lucario, Infernape, and Scizor are good wall breakers before or after a Dragonite sweep. All three resist Ice attacks and can put the hurt on walls such as Skarmory, Bronzong, Cresselia, and Hippowdon. Dragonite, especially the support set, can switch into troublesome Ground, Fire, and Water attacks aimed at these Pokemon. Empoleon is a wonderful partner to Dragonite, resisting Dragon, Ice, and Rock attacks. A Salamence or Latias usually won't hesitate to use Outrage or Draco Meteor, being faster than Dragonite. Once Dragonite is KOed and the foe is locked into Outrage or has -2 Special Attack, Empoleon can easily set up. Agility Metagross and Swords Dance Scizor can stat up in a similar way and wreak havoc. SubCM Jirachi can switch in on an Ice Beam, then proceed to set up on the foe's bulky Water-type that was sent in to beat Dragonite. It is recommended you run Flash Cannon on this Jirachi so you can OHKO Mamoswine before it can Earthquake you. This is important because Mamoswine is also able to KO Dragonite with Ice Shard. Although Gengar has no defensive reason to be used with Dragonite, it is able to lure and kill Scizor. By using Substitute as Scizor switches in, it can then OHKO it with Hidden Power Fire. Hidden Power Fire also does good damage to Bronzong and Jirachi.</p>

[EVs]

<p>The EVs are listed for each specific set. Dragonite's Speed is mediocre, so you usually want to concentrate on that first to hit an important benchmark, then tailor the rest of the spread accordingly. The Dragon Dancer and offensive sets should have maximum Attack, unless you are using both attacking stats. Any sets focusing on Dragonite's above average defenses should not max Hit Points! With max HP, Dragonite can only switch into Stealth Rock 4 times, while with 248 HP EVs or 224 HP EVs it can switch in an additional time before dying. From there, you should concentrate on the defense stat of your choice.</p>

246 Speed (200 EVs) is the bare minimum for any of the offensive sets to get the jump on Jolly Tyranitar and defensive Celebi, Zapdos, and Jirachi. You can shoot for other benchmarks such as 270 (200 EVs with a +Speed nature) or 280 (236 EVs with a +Speed nature), but you're usually better off just maxing speed. 207 Speed is necessary for defensive sets to outspeed most Bulky Waters so Dragonite can Roost before being hit by Ice Beam, which requires 44 Spe EVs.</p>

[Opinion]

<p>Dragonite had trouble fitting in last generation, as Salamence was being eyed and fancied by every trainer and their brother. More than ever, Dragonite has trouble fitting in with every Dragon-type now learning Outrage. With the addition of Latias to the metagame, Dragonite's niche continues to fade. Dragonite is often seen as a gimmick Pokemon; however, Dragonite's stellar movepool and his ability to take supporting roles has made him very unpredictable and deadly, making him a solid choice for any team. Play him to his strengths and Dragonite may just surprise you.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Unlike Salamence, any bulky Pokemon with Ice Beam is not a surefire counter thanks to Dragonite's extra bulk and access to Light Screen. Bulky Water-types such as Suicune, Slowbro, and Swampert still remain reliable counters to most Dragonite, and can threaten with Ice Beam or Avalanche while also scouting out Dragonite's set. Weavile and Mamoswine are especially dangerous with STAB Ice Shard hitting on Dragonite's lesser defense and disregarding speed boosts from Dragon Dance, Agility, or Choice Scarf. However, Weavile can't switch into Dragonite and Mamoswine must avoid a Fire move or Superpower. Cresselia works as an overall decent switch-in, but repeated Outrages and Draco Meteors will wear it down. Hippowdon can switch in on physical sets and Roar them out, which in turn forces more Stealth Rock damage. Steel-types coming in on an Outrage or Draco Meteor work well, though they have to watch out for Fire Blast, Earthquake, or Superpower. Skarmory in particular is an excellent counter if Dragonite lacks Fire Blast. Bronzong is another excellent counter thanks to high Defense and Special Defense stats along with Levitate. Scizor can switch into an Outrage or Earthquake and KO a Dragonite on low health with Bullet Punch. The Choice and Mixed sets require a bit more care to counter, but can be handled with good prediction.</p>

EDIT: Is it okay I did not put (Update) in the title? This whole forum is updates so there shouldn't be any confusion.
 
Just skimming through:

Although Inner Focus may seem like nothing special, it makes Dragonite one of the best counters to Togekiss and Special Attacking Jirachi.
Special Attacking Jirachi carry Iron Head?
 

Erazor

✓ Just Doug It
is a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Brilliant job. However, about the order of the sets - why is CB so low? It should be the second or third set, not after the now-useless offensive DD.
 
Here's one thing I caught when skimming through this.

<p>Heal Bell is the preferred option over Light Screen simply because Latias lacks the move. Dragonite is also one of the few viable clerics on OU, but Light Screen is always helpful when trying to set up a sweep or Toxic stalling. Roar is also on offer, but better left to Latias who can effectively Roar away Calm Minders such as Jirachi and Suicune. Roost is necessary to keep Dragonite healthy and continue his job. Thunder Wave is always a useful status move, slowing down many Pokemon. Toxic however, used in conjunction with Light Screen and Roost can out stall walls which use Special Attacks, such as Vaporeon and Blissey. Dragon Claw is your generic STAB move which works off of your high 135 base Attack. If you are using Toxic however, you are better off with Flamethrower which hits the Steel-types immune to Toxic. Flamethrower can also catch Skamory or Scizor off guard, expecting to wall a physical attacker. Use a Careful nature with Dragon Claw, and a Calm nature with Flamethorwer.</p>
Dragonite's base Attack is 134, not 135.
 
Nitpicks/changes/problems are all in bold, and each suggestion is in bold to more easily distinguish it from the rest of the text.

MixNite Set

Cresselia is probably the best counter to MixNite. (feel it should be a new sentence) Being so, Tyranitar is always good to have around. Although Reflect will slow it down, Cresselia can't do jack (sounds a bit crude, maybe replace with anything. Also, it's a double negative, and therefore not propper english) to Tyranitar, while it can threaten with Pursuit or easily 2HKO with Crunch.
Souting Paragraph
You should mention Jolly Choice Scarf Flygon. It scouts very well with U-Turn, can defeat all Latias (excluding Choice Scarfers) and Salamence (again, excluding Scarfers and Jolly/Hasty DDancers). It is also a great check to most of the counters mentioned in the previous paragraph.

<p>Even with Roost, Dragonite can't set up against Ice Beam users (abusers is not really the right word) such as Suicune, Vaporeon, and Swampert (unless it has Light Screen), (needs a comma) so you need something to counter these Pokemon, preferably before Dragonite comes into play. Although Celebi reliably counters these Pokemon, it shares an Ice weakness with Dragonite and has similiar resistances. A Pokemon with Toxic and recovery move is a good choice to stall out said bulky Water-types. Blissey, Porygon2, Vaporeon, and Milotic are all great Toxic stall Pokemon that are (sounds better) able to take a Surf or an (sounds better) Ice Beam. Toxic Spikes are another option to wear down bulky Pokemon. (got rid of "not immune to it", as only Empoleon and Tentacruel get rid/are imune to TSpikes, while also filling the role of Bulky Water. The former is usually a lead or a sweeper, and the latter has no busness trying to wall Dragonite. And anyway, both are hit with a x2 Earthquake, the recommended choice.)
Bulky DDNite Set

<p>Dragonite's humongous Attack stat often undermines its above average Special Defense. Although Latias has a much higher SpD stat,(needs a comma) it has a slightly different typing, access to Heal Bell, and possesses Inner Focus,(needs a comma) making this set perfectly viable.
Support Set

Thunder Wave is always a useful status move, slowing down many Pokemon. Toxic however, used in conjunction with Light Screen and Roost, (sounds better with a comma) can out stall out (again, sounds better) walls which use Special Attacks, such as Vaporeon and Blissey. Dragon Claw is your generic STAB move which works well (sounds better)off of your high 134 base Attack. If you are using Toxic however, you are better off with Flamethrower which hits the Steel-types immune to Toxic. Flamethrower can also catch Skamory, Scizor, or Forretress (changed around a bit because of the inclusion of Forretress, which deserves mention as it is x4 weak to fire and would be an option for walling Dragonite) off guard, expecting to wall a physical attacker. Use a Careful nature with Dragon Claw, and a Calm nature with Flamethorwer.</p>
Metagross can also make use of Light Screen, furthering Dragonite's goal to (sounded very akward without another word or two) wall Special Attackers.</p>
By switching a Lucario or Infernape into a Choice user's Ice or Rock attack form Pokemon such as Tyranitar or Mamoswine, these sweepers can set up and proceed to ram the oncoming foes. (re-worded to make things sound smoother)
Opinion Paragraph

With the addition of Latias to the metagame, Dragonite's niche continues to fade. (wrong word, must be a mis-spelling)
Great Job on the update! I love the writting, and all your aadditions were great. You just needed a freash set of eyes to go over it.
 
<p>Skarmory and Bronzong are once again the best counters to Dragonite, specifically Skarmory who can restore its health with Roost. Even with Fire Blast, you need a neutral nature and Life Orb, or 80 Special Attack EVs and Life Orb to OHKO Skarmory after Stealth Rock which at this point you're better off using Salamence.
Can you elaborate on this or am I just confused? Won't a nuetral nature and a life orb have less power than 80 Sp.Attack ev's and a life orb?
 
no scarf set? the scarf set has worked wonders as a wallbreaker and revenge killer for me. While i know the 80 base speed is bad, with scarf, +speed nature and 172 evs, he reaches 395, outpacing every ou non-scarfer (bar ninjask and (LOL) electrode. This also solves his speed issues, and with his movepool, he can do massive damage.
 
no scarf set? the scarf set has worked wonders as a wallbreaker and revenge killer for me. While i know the 80 base speed is bad, with scarf, +speed nature and 176 evs, he reaches 396, outpacing every ou non-scarfer.
ninjask would like a word with you...
 
A minor typo I noticed while skimming through in the Offensive DD set:

One advantage Dragonite does possess is his natural above average Defense, which means Scizor can manage only 60% with a Choice Band Bullet Punch. This could be the difference between dying of Life Orb damage or killing another Pokemon.
I'm pretty sure it's dying, and not dieing. That sentence actually doesn't make a lot of sense, like you can't kill another Pokemon dying of life orb recoil or something. You could elaborate on it more, or change it to something like;

This could allow Dragonite an extra turn or two of sweeping without Life Orb recoil KOing him.
 

VKCA

(Virtual Circus Kareoky Act)
Heatran also makes a great counter to both of these Pokemon, as well as Scizor if you can avoid switching in on an Earthquake or Superpower.
This sentence seems a little awkward to me, as it sounds like your saying that scizor can use earthquake. Maybe that is actually what you meant and you just had a brain fart, but I assume you are talking about bronzong's earthquakes. Or maybe I'm just insane and it makes perfect sense.
 

Erazor

✓ Just Doug It
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Metanite hasn't replied to my PM for some time now, so I'm going to post here -

Why does it matter if the CB set is used less than the DD set? CB is more viable than on Slamaence(arguably at least), and the whole point of the analyses is to provide the most competitive sets, and to teach the noobs that DD is outclassed by 'Mence.

edit: This was in response to Metanite's PM, in which he said that the CB set is so low because it was used much less.
 

supermarth64

Here I stand in the light of day
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Sorry if this is incorrect, but my SAT writing section part is nagging me about it.

<p>Dragonite's humongous Attack stat often undermines its above average Special Defense. Although Latias has a much higher SpD stat, it has a slightly different typing, access to Heal Bell, and possesses Inner Focus, making this set perfectly viable. Although Inner Focus may seem like nothing special, it makes Dragonite one of the best counters to Togekiss.</p>
Shouldn't it be Dragonite? Because the way that it's written now, "it" refers to Latias.
 
Fixed/Added all grammatical/spelling things mentioned, as well as added a paragraph for Choice Scarf in other options, and also mention of Waterfall. I believe I PM'd everybody to answer their questions.

@Erazor: Although DDNite is mostly outclassed by DDMence, that is not to say it doesn't work well. I'd prefer to keep the Choice sets together, although I too believe the analysis should have most competitive sets first, this is why 3 sets are now ahead of it in the analysis. People, even new players should go not by set order but by reading the descriptions and deciding which will better fit its team when choosing a set.

I got a PM from somebody from Marriland argueing that Dragonite is better off with 112 Atk EVs to OHKO most Bold Blissey (although many Bold ones have HP EVs too). Although a Calm nature is more common, he made the arguement that since Superpower (OHKOing Blissey, Tyranitar, etc) is Dragonite's main advantage over MixMence it should be used to its full advantage: KOing all Blissey. I want to know what you guys think?
 

supermarth64

Here I stand in the light of day
is a Contributor Alumnus
Are you sure Lonely ScarfNite isn't viable?
Too gimicky, and Salamence did it better. Scarf sets are hit and run, so since Dragonite won't be taking any attacks, the higher speed and attacking power of Salamence is better.

And Intimidate.
 
So ScarfNite should stick Hasty?
Edit: say...can one useFire Punch insted of EQ on BulkyNite?
I also belive the offensive DD should be in other options, due to beeing outclassed by Salamence, while the Agility andScarf sets should return, as Salamence doesn't learn Agility, Superpower or Ice attacks.
 
Ok, so now I can post in the forum!
I was the one who sent you a pm about the MixNite set, concerning his EV distribution. First of all, to OHKO a 0HP/252Def Calm Blissey you don't even have to invest any EV into attack. That is, however, if you are only looking to break that very specific Blissey. If you are wanting to take down 0HP/252Def Bold Blissey, and anyone between the calm version and this one, you will need to invest 112 attack EV in order to OHKO a SR'd Blissey. As you said you can try to only break the most popular 0HP/252Def Calm Blissey, however, it is important to note the fact that most Dragonite users will want to be aware of the fact that they need to be as different from Salamence as possible. If you go for the bare minimum of breaking blissey and other walls, then you will get closer to becoming a inferior version of MixMence who also cannot OHKO Blissey.
It is very crucial to note that with superpower helping MixNite to have an advantage over MixMence, as it can OHKO many if not most Blissey builds. Thus, it is important to use that advantage to its fullest potential.
I also realize that there are many Blissy builds that pour EV into HP but by the looks of the statistics ~47% of Blissies do not invest any into HP. (noting the fact that about 88% of them have max def) Thus, a MixNite with 112 attack EV will be able to break/OHKO around half of the Blissey population, which is incredible.
Wow I wrote a lot...sorry for those that had to read such a long reply but I just wanted to say what I believed. Oh and just for a side note, you can take out 4 EV's from Sp.Atk and put it into speed so that
Dragonite (with agility) reaches 494 Speed, putting it past positive natured base 100 Scarfers. Agility of course can be baton passed and such every now and then. Anyways thanks!

0Atk Dragonite with life orb vs. 0HP/252Def Calm Blissey: 304 Atk vs 119 Def & 651 HP (120 Base Power): 570 - 672 (87.56% - 103.23%) AND 100% with SR
 

cim

happiness is such hard work
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@Erazor: Although DDNite is mostly outclassed by DDMence, that is not to say it doesn't work well. I'
We have had this debate 45 hundred thousand million billion trillion times in C&C, and if a set is clean outclassed (as in another Pokémon does it 110% better) then there is no reason whatsoever for it to be in the analysis. Get rid of Offensive DD.
 
We have had this debate 45 hundred thousand million billion trillion times in C&C, and if a set is clean outclassed (as in another Pokémon does it 110% better) then there is no reason whatsoever for it to be in the analysis. Get rid of Offensive DD.
This! is sadly true
Oh and again that 56EV Atk doesn't seem that efficient to me
again 0atk ev can ohko SR'd 0hp/252def calm blissey but won't ohko other kinds of blissies

i'd say 112atk is the way to go XD
 

jrrrrrrr

wubwubwub
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We have had this debate 45 hundred thousand million billion trillion times in C&C, and if a set is clean outclassed (as in another Pokémon does it 110% better) then there is no reason whatsoever for it to be in the analysis. Get rid of Offensive DD.
Actually I'm pretty sure the exact opposite conclusion was reached. If Dragonite can use an offensive DD set competitively, it deserves to be in the analysis, especially since it has options that Salamence doesnt (Superpower, Fire Punch, better defenses). The analysis is supposed to reflect competitive movesets, so just emphasize Dragonite's strengths and mention that Salamence is generally preferred to its higher base Speed. If what you said is true, then we would have already gotten rid of every set that is outclassed by something else (read: the entire NU and UU tiers)
 

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